During our time in Guatemala our main purpose was to build relationships. We were working at a school were most students knew little to no English, which was more difficult then Honduras where all the kids knew English. Going into the beginning of the month I thought, “How am I going to build these relationships with the kids when we don’t speak the same language?” It’s a simple answer, love. Show love by being around them, playing with them, or the ever so common Buenos Dias!
There are three people from Guatemala that come to mind when I think of simple love and building relationships.
The first person that really captured my heart was Noé. He is a kindergarten student at the school. During our first week there he would always run up to me and want to be held. He taught me that sometimes ministry is as simple as holding on and reading a story in Spanish, or at least trying to read the story. When I had told our contact, Lori, about how I have fallen in love with Noé she started to tell me some stories about him.
Noé and his sister came to the school straight from the jungle. He was not use to civilization. His Dad had started to work at the farm next to the school and the farm owner decided to help pay for the kids tuition so they could stay with their Dad.
There was a day when Noé had first started going to the school that his teacher wasn’t sure where he had gone. They found him in the back of the school using the bathroom. He had dug his hole, gathered his leafs, took off his socks and shoes, rolled up his pants and hung his sweater on a nail. It just goes to show how uncivilized some areas of Guatemala remain.
The second person that made an impact on me was a girl named Joseline. I didn’t know her name for most of the month but she was always waving at everyone. Her house was on our way to school so we saw her everyday. In the mornings she would be in the doorway and in the afternoons she would be in the window. I could tell that she has her routine down. Joseline is a special needs girl who the community loves. People are consistently waving to her or honking their car horns to make her day.
She always has so much joy on her face. I made it a point to walk over to her and shake her hand every time we passed. I noticed that after the first few times the rest of my team joined in. It was always the best part of the walk for me. I believe that the joy from Joseline poured into me and over my relationships with my team. On the last day of school I picked flowers for her. When we got to her house I handed them to her and she had the biggest smile.
The last person would be Juan Luis otherwise known as Guicho in the community. The day we met him we were walking to town and started to pass us in his imaginary car. So as he drove pass I got in my imaginary car and raced him. We even had sound effects as we shifted gears. We got to a cross roads and he turned left as we went straight. I thought that was going to be the last time I saw him but as we were in the ice cream shop he drove by.
When I waved he reversed his car and parallel parked in front of the shop, got out and came inside. I started up a conversation with him and noticed that he is a special needs adult. He told me his name and I asked what color his car is. He said red.
When it was time to leave the ice cream shop he got into his car and my teammates and I followed. We had 6 people in this imaginary red car. We got out of our parking spot and drove around town. When he would shift up a gear we would run faster and when we came to a crossroad we stopped. We were at a busy part of the town and several people saw us in Juan’s car and just smiled as we went through the intersection.
We parked the car near one of Juan’s favorite places to see some friends and parted ways. It was easily one of the best moments of the race thus far. We all got out of the car with huge smiles on our faces. That was the first and last day I saw Juan. Lori tells me that he is also very loved in the community and that by us getting in his car means a lot to him and those who saw us with him.
I hope that the stories of these people can help show you what it is to simply love and feel joy from others. I know that my month in Guatemala has changed me for the better in recognizing the small things about every situation.
If you feel moved by the my blog and what God is doing in my heart I ask you to prayerfully consider donating to my trip. I am a little over $3,000 away from fully funded and I need to be funded by the end of December. I know for a fact that I am right where God wants me. I have had amazing opportunities to share his love with people all over Central America and I would love to be able to continue this journey through Africa and Asia. If you can’t help support finically, you can still support by prayers!
